Man sentenced for making threats against police

49-year-old charged with making false bomb threat, assault

A Cole County man was sentenced to five years in prison for pleading guilty to charges of making a false bomb threat and assaulting law officers after an incident at his home in April.

Mark Balcer, 49, of 5217 Shepherd Hills Road, was also charged with resisting arrest and violating an order of protection.

Cole County Sheriff’s Department probable cause statements show deputies were called to Balcer’s home after he called the 911 dispatch center saying he had planted bombs in his yard in an effort to blow up lesbians.

He earlier had called a friend and told him that he would see his case worker in the morning, then would kidnap him and drive until they ran out of gas. Once they were out of gas, he was going to murder his case worker and then commit suicide.

When deputies got to Balcer’s home, he met them at the door with a rifle and told them to leave.

He did not point the rifle at the deputies, but made comments about it being loaded with black powder and roofing nails. Balcer then closed his door and went back inside.

Instead of forcing a confrontation, deputies left the residence. As they were leaving, Balcer again called the 911 center and said he hoped the deputies would trip a wire of one of the bombs he planted, that he was willing to go to jail and that he had enough black powder to blow up his house.

Deputies came back to the home and eventually told Balcer he was under arrest.

Balcer then ran away from deputies who had to chase and tackle him to place him into custody.

A search of the property turned up no bombs or explosives.

It was later discovered that Balcer had also had an order of protection filed against him over offensive posts on Craigslist.